Australia enters a new era in track cycling

The 22-rider team for the Hong Kong UCI Track World Championships worlds represents a new beginning for Australian track cycling.

UCI Track Cycling World Championships

Matthew Glaetzer (C) will lead Australia at the UCI Track World Championships. Source: AAP

Australian track cycling starts its post-Anna Meares era with a world championships team featuring nine former winners and eight rookies.

The team of 22 for the Hong Kong worlds includes nine of the 16 riders from the disastrous Rio Olympics campaign.

With Anna Meares retiring after Rio, this is the first time since 2002 that the cycling legend is not in the senior track program.

Adding to the feel of a new era, the 12-16 April worlds will also be the first major event for Simon Jones since his appointment as Cycling Australia's national performance director.

Sprinters Matthew Glaetzer, Kaarle McCulloch and Stephanie Morton and track endurance ace Cameron Meyer, a six-time world track champion, headline the team.

Team pursuiters Sam Welsford, Callum Scotson and Alex Porter and individual pursuit rider Rebecca Wiasak are the reigning world champions in the line-up.

Welsford and Scotson are also the only team members to win medals in Rio, as part of the silver-medal team pursuit squad.

Glaetzer and McCulloch, plus team pursuiters Amy Cure and Ashlee Ankudinoff, have also won world track titles.

Teenagers Courtney Field, Kelland O'Brien and Kristina Clonan were named for their senior world debuts, although Clonan must make it through an Adelaide training camp first.

She is in a six-rider women's track endurance squad that will be cut to five later this month.

Sprinter Holly Takos and track endurance riders Jordan Kerby, Nick Yallouris, Rohan Wight and Alexandra Manly are the other first-time selections.

Sprint: Patrick Constable, Matthew Glaetzer, Nathan Hart, Jacob Schmid, Courtney Field, Kaarle McCulloch, Stephanie Morton, Holly Takos.

Women's track endurance (to be cut to five riders): Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Kristina Clonan, Amy Cure, Alexandra Manly, Rebecca Wiasak.

Men's track endurance: Jordan Kerby, Cameron Meyer, Kelland O'Brien, Alex Porter, Callum Scotson, Sam Welsford, Rohan Wight, Nick Yallouris.


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2 min read
Published 9 March 2017 8:03am
By Cycling Central
Source: Cycling Central


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